Mechanical toy



March l 1927.y

1,619,694* s. I BERGER v MECHANICAL ToY r Filed April 29. 1925 2 sheets-sheet 1 INVENTOR March 1 1927. vs. L BERGER 1,619,694

MECHANICAL TOY FiledAbril 29, 1925 2 Sheetshe 2 INVENTOR ,Samuel I. e/gfr @Wd uw Patented Mar. 1, 1927.

l YFFICE.

SAMUEL I. BERGER, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

MECHANICAL TOY.

Application filed April 29, 1925. Serial No. 26,608.

My present invention relates to improvements in mechanical 'toys and has as an object, to provide a toy of the balking mule type which ca be easily produced of stamped parts and easily assembled and which will realistically simulate the action of a vehicle drawn by a balking animal.

Among other objects of the invention are to provide a toy of the type last referred to in which, with a simple motor of a type in itself not new, the action will assume a life-like rather than a mere mechanical operation and more particularly one in which, after a balk of the animal figure, it may proceed forward and appear to draw the vehicle in a different direction.

A feature of the invention is to provide weight in the wagon, vehicle or cart to the rear of the wheels, thereof to cause rearward tilting by an inertia action when the driving motor suddenly causes the vehicle to move forward after a reverse action. Preferably the rearward tilting movement is arrested by a baclr stop which in the preferred embodiment is the winding handle of the spring motor. The slow rotation of this handle in the unwinding ot' the motor will frequently cause the vehicle to pivot thereabout with consequent change in the direction of travel of the vehicle when it resumes its forward travel.

Another object is to provide a draft anif mal ligure, easy to produce at small cost 0l sheet metal parts, which will simulate in operation of the toy, the movement of the legs and ears. Preferably, each pair of legs and the ears is formed of a single sheet metal strip extending transversely through the body of the ligure and affording a pivot mounted in a slot in the body diverging at both ends in `which said members rock during vibration and movement of the figure, in the operation of the toy. Preferably the sheet metal members have struck up tongues or ears thereon which will prevent the ready removal of the same from the body of the ligure.

Other objects will be in part pointed out hereinafter and additional structural features will be described and claimed hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section of a preferred embodiment of the invention, the tilted position of the toy being indicated in dotted lines;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary bottom view of the toy on a larger scale;

Figure 3 is a front elevation of the body of the cart,

Figure et is a top view of the drivers head;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a fruit blank to be located in the cart;

Figure 6 is a perspective view showing a portion of the car body formed from a single blank;

Figure T is a perspective view of the motor carrying plate; Y

Figure 8 is a perspective view showing the upright walls of the cart body formed of a single sheet of metal and the pilot wheel bracket for use therewith; and

Figure 9 is a view illustrating in detail the formation of the legs and ears of the mule and manner in which they are assembled with the body.

ln the illustrated embodiment of the invention a mule 1 is attac-lied by thills 2 with a cart 23 and also by reins 4 with a driver 5 illustratively representing a farmer.

The cart 3 comprises a rectangular motor plate 6 to support a motor 7 and a body portion 8 formed of a single sheet bent around the motor plate 6 into the shape indicated in Fig. 8 and the ends thereof fastened together on the right hand front corner by alternating lugs 9 and 10 at opposite ends thereof. lhe motor plate 6 is provided at its front and rear ends withV projections or tongues 1l to fit into suitable openings l2 in the front and rear walls of the body portion 8 and with tongues 13 at opposite sides of the plate 6 to fit into openings 14 in the side walls of the portion S.

Mounted on the lower side of the motor plate 6 byv means of bracket members 15 struck out` of the plate is a shaft 16 which passes through notches 1'? in the lower edges of the side walls of the body portion 8 and has mounted on the ends thereof wheels 18. As herein disclosed the shaft 16 is square in cross section and has fitted thereon pinions 19 t0 be engaged by the teeth 2O of the fragmental crown gear 2l fixed on the lower end of a shaft 22 extending through an opening 23 in the plate 6. Between the crown gear 21 and the plate 11, there is a gear 24 meshing with a large gear 25 of the motor 7. The motor has a spring 26 to be wound up by a downwardly extending key 27 which, as shown in Fig. 1 may serve as a pvot when the toy is in tilted position.`

Upon winding the spring and releasing the key the motor will turn the crown gear 21 that the teeth 20 will engage first one pinion 19 and then the other so as to run the toy alternately forward and rearward.

The cart has also a pilot wheel 28 mounted by a pivot 29 in the arms 30 of a bracket 31 formed of a single Isheet of material and including a cross piece 32 and an upright tongue or member 33 to cooperate with the front wall of the body portion 3. A strap 35 is struck out from the front wall of the cart to receive the upper edge of the tongue 33 and tongues 36 are struck out in such positions that when the tongue 33 has its upper edge inserted in the strap 35,.. the tongues 36 will engage the `edges of the tongue 33 and may bebent thereover. rEhe parts 32 and 33 may be stitfened by means of a struck up brace 34. Y

Mounted on the upper part of the cart portion 8 is a frame 37 which simulates to an extent that of an ordinary wagon body. The frame has sides 33, a back 39 and ay seat 40. This part is also made from a single sheet formed into a blank with suitable openings andbent into the shape `disclosed. The seat is formed by turning up a forward extension of the bottom 41 to form an upright portion 42 and then rearwardly and upwardly to form the seat 40 having a back 43 and suitable sides or arms 44. As seen in Figure 6 there is a slot 45 in the seat and a corresponding slot 46 in the wagon bottom beneath the same and that a tongue 47 has been out out and turned down to form an opening in the front wall 42. The object of these features will be brought out more clearly hereinafter. At the front of the frame 37 the side walls 33 are cut away to form arcuate strips 43, from which project tongues 49 to extend upwardly through slots 50 in the seat 40 and bent intoholding position.

An appropriately embossed and lithographed rectangular blank is provided to simulate a load of fruit. This blank has a flat border extending therearound and of such dimensions as to lit into the body portion 37 and is provided at its forward edge with a recess 52 to register with the rear end of the slot 46. When the fruit blank has been placed in the frame 37, the latter may be placed on the portion 3 so that tongues 53 will extend into slots 54 and may be bent down over the bottom 41 and the edges of the blank 51 within the range of such tongues. It will be noted that the front tongue 53 will extend upwardly through the Slot 46 and may be bent 'forwardly and downwardly over t-he tongue 47.

To detachably support the driver 5 for movement back and forth I provide a member 55 which has a U shaped .seat portion or fork 56, the side members of which loosely extend into corresponding grooves pressed into the body of the driver 5, the term loosely being used in the sense of unattached. The member 55 is preferably of wire with suflicient spring action to securely hold the driver in position. rlhe member also includes a downwardly ext-ending straight portion offset at its lower end to provide a rock shaft portion 57 mounted in slotted brackets 53 turned up from the motor plate. The wire 55 also has a portion 59 extending downwardly through the opening in the motor plate formed in making one of the brackets 58 and connected at its end with a crank 16 on shaft 16. It will be seen that as the shaft 16 is rotated in one direction or the other, the driver is moved rearwardly and forwardly and through reins 4, causes the mule to move in a manner to be described hereinafter.

The thills 2 form part of the single piece of material passed through openings in opposite Isides of the mules body and are pivoted at the rear of said openings on a pivot member 66 extending through the body of the mule. It should be noted that the opening 65 is of such size that there can be considerable relative movement between the body of the mule and the thills about the pivot 66. At their rear ends th-e thills are passed through openings 67 formed by turning tongues 68 out of the front wall of the cart. At their extreme rear ends the thills 2 are formed with outwardly extending projections 69 which pass through openings 70 in the side walls of the member 3, such openings being formed by turning ont flaps 71.

The mule l has a hollow body 72 which is provided at o-pposite sides with openings 73 for the legs as indicated in Figure 9. T he fore legs 74 are formed integrally with a connecting plate 75 from which tongues 76 are stamped out adjacent the connect-ing lines between the pilates 75 and the legs. In assembling the mule, one leg is placed through an opening 7 3 at one side and carried through the same, the leg at the other end being turned downwardly and the ad jacent tongue 76 being turned upwardly to engage the side of the mule. rllhe leg 74 at the other side may then be turned down into position and in View of the looseness of the connect-ion the tongue 76 on that side may be turned up to engage. the side of the mule. As shown in Figure 9, the openings 73 are fanned out both at front and rear so that the legs while having considerable play are limited in both their forward and rearward movements. The hind legs 77 are fo-rmed in substantially the same manner as the forelegs 74. The ears of the mule are also formed from a single. sheet, as shown in FigE ure 9, and the ears proper 78 are joined by an integral plate 7 9 having adjacent its connections with the ears, tongues 8O to be bent over to assist in holding the ears 7 8 in position in the fan-shaped opening 78 in the sides of the mules head. It will be'seen that the legs and ears are applied with facility to the previously assembled body and the difHculty in manufacture is obviated of first having to apply the leg or ear members to the segments of the animal before the latter is assembled. l/Vhile the legs and ears are free to move relative to the body of the mule, yet they will not become separated therefrom regardless how roughly handled, since one lug on each leg or ear acts as key to prevent removal of the opposite leg or ear. I/Vhile the lugs 76 and 80 are preferred, it is understood that a reasonably secure construction can be provided even if these are omitted..

A novel feature in the construction of thc gure representing the driver' resides in the construction of the hat indicated in general by 61. This hat consists of a tapered crown or part 62 stamped integral with the head of the driver and having stamped out of the sides thereof tongues 63 which after the placing of the annular brim 64 over the crown 62 of the head are bent out to hold the brim in position.

The operation of the toy is substantially as follows: lhen the motor 7 has been sufficiently wound by means of the key 27, the toy is placed on a flat surface and the. key or wheels released to permit the spring of the motor to unwind. The toy will then run alternately forwardly and rearwardly due to the alternate engagement of the teeth 2O of the crown gear 21 with the two pinions 19 mounted at opposite sides ofthe shaft 22. During such motion in either direction the action of crank 16 on lever wire 55 will cause the driver to move alternately forward and rearward. In the rearward motion of the driver, tension is exerted on reins 4 which pass through the mou-th of the mule, the two strands guided through corresponding ears 60 on the back of the mule, raising the mule about pivot 66. In the return of the driver to forward position, the reins are relaxed and the mule drops forward by gravity about pivot 66 until its fore legs again touch Athe fioor. When the rotation of the shaft 16 is reversed at the end of a. rearward movement of the toy, the toy will tilt by virtue of its inertia to the dotted line position shown in Figure 1 toa. limiting position determined by the handle of key 27 touching the iioor or surface on which the toy is running. Inasmuch as the key 27 is turning continuously during the expansion of the spring, it will tend to turn the toy about the. key shank as an axis into another direction so that as the forward motion of the cart proceeds and the forward end of the toy drops so that the pilot wheel Q8 against rests on the floor, the toy will be pointed in a different direction than before.

When the motor is tightly wound the toy will tilt up 1in each of its rearward move-- ments but after the motor has become somewhat run down, the reversal is not sudden enough to bring the inertiaof the cart into play and the toy will not tilt to the dotted line position (Fig. 1) but will move forwardly and rearwardly without suoli tilting. The mule will however be caused to buck due tio the alterna-ting tightening and relaxing of the reins 41:.

Throughout operation as is readily seen, the legs and ears of the dr ft animal will move back and forth as a result of the vibration and of inertia due tothe sudden changes in direction of motion of the carrying parte, so th atI a particularly realistic action results.

I-Iaving thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a toy, the combination with a figure of a person provided with grooves on the opposite sides of the hips thereof, of a movable seat comprising a resilient U shaped portion of which the sides when slightly sprung are adapted to enter said grooves to hold the figure detachably but firmly.

In a toy comprising a vehicle, the combination with a resilient member mounted in the vehicle and bent tol form at one side of its upper end a U shaped seat, of a figure representing an occupant and having grooves on the opposite sides thereof to receive the sides of the seat when the latter are sprung slightly and eect a detachable connection of the figure with the sea-'.

3. In a toy comprising a vehicle7 the combination with a resilient rod supported at one end in the vehicle andhaving its free end bent to form a U shancd seat, of a figure of an occupant provided with grooves lo receive the opposite sides of the U shaped seat when slightly sprung apart and effect a detachable connection between the figure and the seat. A

it. A motor driven toy including a vehicle, the figure of an occupant, of a device for n'ioving said figure comprising a'resilient rod loosely and detachably supporting the iigure and having a portion bent oftl to one side for effecting a pivotal mounting thereof in the vehicle', an actuating portion extending from the bent off portion, and nieans'including an eccentric device operated from kthe motor and coactino with said actuating b 23 portion for moving said rod and consequently said figure.

5. In a toy, the combination with an animate figure head having an opening therethrough from side to side, of a member comprising a fiat central portion extending throu'h said oJeninO` end tono'ues turned D E) D down to engage the sides of the head, and ears at the ends of said central portion and turned up along the sides of the head.

. 6. In a loy, the combination with the head of a draft animal having at -opposite sides thereof aligned openings each narrow at the middle and fan-shaped to the front and rear, of a member with a central section positioned in said head and having flat end portions resting in said openings and with end sections in the form of ears extending upwardly from said central section, the ears being permitted to swing back and forth due to the shape of said openings in the head.

7. In a toy, the combination with an animal figure having at opposite sides thereof aligned openings where legs are required, of a member comprising a central portion to extend from side to side through said openings and sustained at its ends upon the edges of said openings and unsupported between its ends, lugs extending from said member and adapted to cooperate and engage with said openings, said member having protruding legs turned downwardly from the ends of said central portion.

8. In a toy, the combination with an animal figure having at opposite sides thereof aligned openings where legs are required, of a member comprising a cent al port-ion to extend from side to side through said openings and having atits ends tongues to be turned upwardly and outwardly to engage the sides of the body, and legs turned downwardly from said central portion.

9; In a toy, the combination with an animal figure having at opposite sides` thereof aligned openings, where legs are required, of a member comprising a central portion to extend from side to side through said openings and having atits ends tongues to be turned upwardly and ouwardly to engage the sides of the body, and legs turned downwardly from said central portion, the ends of said central portion being fiat and said openings being narrow at the middle and fanned to the front and rear so that the legs may swing from front to rear between the forward sides of the openings.

10. In a toy of the class described, the combination with a cart body including a front wall of sheet material having a downwardly open socket struck out to the front thereof and tongues cut in said front wall to be turned outbeneath the ends of said socket, of a pilot wheel b-racket having a tongue to be inserted into said socket and to be engaged at its edges by the tongues.

1l. In a device of the cha acter described, a. cart body portion having side walls and an upwardly extending rod formed at its upper end into a laterally offset' seat, and mounted for swinging forwardly and rearwardly, an upper frame formed of a single blank with an upwardly turned front wall and a seat turned rearwardly therefrom, and means to secure the frame to said cart body portion, the frame being provided with forwardly and rearwardly extending slots to accommodate t-he lmovement of said rod and being placed on said body portion by being turned sidewise to receive the offset seat on the rod and then into its proper position.

l2. In a figure toy of the character described. a body, a hat comprising a tapered crown integral with the body and provided with tongues turned outwardly therefrom and a brim with an opening of such size as to tit the crown adjacent said tongues and held on the crown by said tongues turned outwardly thereover.

13. In a toy of the character described, a cart having a wheel at each side and a pilot wheel at the front thereof, thills `projecting` forwardly from said cart, a draft animal figure connected with said thills, a figure of an occupant, a resilient rod loosely and detachably supporting the figure, means including a motor to drive the side wheels to produce alternate forward and rearward movements of the toye, and means cooperating with the motor to actua-te the rod and oscillate the ligure, the toy having such means rearward of the wheel so as to tilt rearward as an effect of inertia. when suddenly reversed at the end of a rearward movement.

le. In a toy ofthe character described, a cart having a wheel at each side and a pilot wheel at the front thereof, thills projecting forwardly from said cart, a draft animal figure connected with said thills, means including a spring motor to drive the side wheels to produce alternate forward and rearward movements of the toy, and a downwardly extending winding key carried by the motor and rotated continuously during the unwinding of the motor, the toy being so constructed as to tilt rearward, as an effect of inertia when suddenly reversed at the end of a rearward movement, until the handle of said key rrests on the supporting surface whereby, as a result of the rotation of the key handle4 in contact with the floor, the ytoy is caused to pivot -tliereabout and then to continue its advance in another direction.

Signed at New York city in the county of New York and State of N ew York this 27th day of April, A. D. 1925.

SAMUEL I. BERGER. 

